Into the Dungeon of Despair

Hermione felt an immense amount of relief once the Count of Trazkaban left the room. Not only did she find his brand of magic to be creepy, but she was well aware of the fact that he viewed her as the enemy. She had seen firsthand what happened to his enemies. Cutting her head off may or may not be appropriate punishment considering the trouble that her actions had caused, but she would prefer to speak to Harry first.

Further thoughts were laid aside when Captain Nailoff moved. Hermione could sense that his attitude toward her had changed for the worst somewhat since Trazkaban had identified her as a member of the Order of the Phoenix and a key ruiner of Harry's reputation. Trespassing was one thing, being a member of the Order was another.

A heavy pair of metal shackles appeared from nowhere onto the massive desk and Nailoff picked them up promptly as if he had been expecting their appearance. He roughly locked them onto Hermione's wrists.

"Follow me." Nailoff commanded curtly, motioning toward the door and nodding to the other guards that they should fall into line with their wands drawn.

They made their way out of the room, across the hall, through some more doors, and then down a dark and steep staircase. Hermione, realizing that the heavy shackles would prevent her from steadying herself should she stumble, was very careful in choosing her footing as they descended.

Several staircases later, they arrived at the dungeon level where Nailoff had opted to take her. Hermione followed him into a room and when it was lighted, surveyed its contents and shuddered. It was a torture chamber right out of the Middle Ages. It reminded her of the ones in castles that she had toured with her family. The only difference was that the tools were very shiny, sharp, and ready for use.

"We will process you here." Nailoff said with a hint of an evil grin. He gestured to a very sinister looking chair that was equipped with straps to hold the head, arms, and legs in place. "Sit there."

As Hermione sat down and shuddered, Nailoff caused a simple desk and a chair to appear next to the chair. He sat down as the other guards took various places in the room. A moment or so passed as Hermione looked around the room and let her imagination ruin her day.

It ended when a guard who had apparently been sent off by Nailoff arrived with a book and presented it to Nailoff. The captain whispered some commands to the guard who then left again and then opened the book to reveal blank pages. A quill and ink appeared on the table and he began to write slowly in the book. "Name?"

"Hermione Jane Granger."

"Age?"

"Sixteen."

This went on for several minutes and eventually Captain Nailoff stopped asking her questions and started writing down what Hermione assumed were details concerning her arrest, interview, and anything else the guards would find relevant at a later point in time.

Hermione had just been able to relax somewhat in the torture chair when the guard that Nailoff had sent off returned carrying a piece of parchment that Hermione assumed was magical in some way. Nailoff finished writing in the book, closed it, and exchanged it for the piece of parchment. He quickly wrote Hermione's name on it and then stood up. "This is everyone's favorite part." Nailoff said.

He strode over to a wall and after some careful deliberation, plucked a wicked looking knife from the wall. Seeing this, Hermione gasped as cold shivers caused her body to spasm. They were going to torture her.

Sensing that she might bolt, two of the guards stepped forward and held her in the chair by her shoulders, apparently deciding that the straps were unnecessary. Nailoff walked up to her holding the parchment and knife. "Don't get too excited." he whispered. He then pushed what was left of one of Hermione's tattered sleeves away and poked her with the knife.

Some blood promptly seeped from the would and Nailoff pressed the parchment with her name on it to the wound, watching as the blood seeped into the parchment. The blood caused the parchment to turn cold and blue. When Nailoff removed it, Hermione saw that the wound had healed. This caused her to let out a sigh of relief.

"I told you not to get too excited." Nailoff said, motioning for the guards to remove their hands and return to their positions. "Now, for the tour of your new home away from home."

At his gesture, Hermione stood up from the frightening chair and followed the captain out of the chamber and a ways down the hall with the other guards on their trail. They made their way around a corner and Hermione could see that the walls of this corridor were lined with iron barred doors to small cells.

"This one will do." Nailoff stated, reaching out and opening on of the barred doors. It opened, sensing his authority to open it.

Hermione meekly walked into the cell and Nailoff followed her in. Being very unsure of things, always eager for knowledge, and her general fear caused Hermione to start asking questions. "How long will I be here?"

"I don't know."

"What about restroom facilities?"

Nailoff looked around the cell curiously. Apparently he wasn't very experienced with their use. That meant that Harry didn't often take prisoners. Hermione didn't know whether that was good or bad. "I reckon that they'll appear when you need them." Nailoff responded.

"How?"

"None of your business." Nailoff retorted, hoping that this would stem the flow of questions.

However, his hopes were not to come true. Hermione continued to ask questions, though her manner became more meek by the second. "Will you feed me?"

"You'll be fed."

"How soon until Harry finds out I'm here?"

"I don't know."

Hermione seemed to be done with the questions, but one last one occurred to her as she looked at herself. "What about clothes? Do you issue uniforms?" She motioned to her own clothes which were now only tattered rags. "Mine are done for and will be uncomfortable."

One of the other guards spoke up. "The point of a dungeon isn't exactly comfort, lady."

Nailoff rolled his eyes and then deciding that the girl had a point about her current clothes, reached out and with a few yanks and rips, removed all but Hermione's undergarments which seemed to be in fairly good condition. This caused her to shriek and hug herself in an attempt to protect her modesty. "We'll let Lady Bellatrix decide about clothes." Nailoff announced. "Meanwhile, we'll make sure that it doesn't get overly cold in here and that your 'possessions' are taken care of."

"Is that it?" Hermione asked, very meekly.

"I suppose."

With that, the guards all left, shutting the cell door behind them. Shivering from the cold, Hermione sunk in a corner and hugged her knees. The guards weren't being very friendly, but what could she expect? It was these thoughts and others about obtaining Harry's forgiveness that kept Hermione occupied for the next while.

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